A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) on Tuesday urged the Government to carefully weigh the valuation formula if it proceeds with plans to fully acquire the Berbice River Bridge, warning that buying the structure too close to its scheduled handover could be financially imprudent.
At a press conference, APNU Member of Parliament Saiku Andrews said purchasing the bridge in 2026 one year before the bridge is due to be transferred to state ownership in 2027 “makes no sense” unless the Government secures a buyout that accounts for costs the bridge company currently covers.
“It makes no sense we purchase a bridge in 2026 which is supposed to come to us free in 2027 and we are saddled with all the maintenance cost that the bridge company is obligated to honour,” Andrews said. “We have to consider all of those and come up with a buy out price, that could be a prudent approach and if that is the approach we can receive value for money.”
Commissioned in 2008, the Berbice River Bridge has been operated through a public‑private partnership by the Berbice Bridge Company Incorporated. Shareholders include the National Insurance Scheme (NIS), the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Hand‑in‑Hand, New GPC, Queens Atlantic Investment Inc and Secure International Finance.
Minister of Public Works Juan Edghill told Parliament earlier this month that the Government is locked in negotiations for a full acquisition, and suggested the outright purchase could cost less than the cumulative expenses the state has assumed since making the crossing toll free.
Andrews, however, cautioned that common valuation approaches can be flawed if they omit key factors. He rejected the idea of funding the purchase by projecting future bridge traffic and subsidizing anticipated losses over the next two years.
“If they do pursue it then it cannot be that we pay for the Berbice bridge by anticipating a percentage in bridge traffic and calculate that and subsidize that over the next two years. We cannot take that approach,” he said. “We can take a discount cash analysis approach in buying the Berbice bridge where we consider the net cash value over two years and you also have to factor in the maintenance schedule that the Berbice bridge is obligated to adhere to.”
The Ministry of Public Works has meanwhile moved ahead with plans for a replacement structure, inviting pre‑qualification submissions for contractors to design, build and finance a new Berbice River crossing. In 2025, nine companies were shortlisted: four from China, three from India, one from Canada and a single local firm.
APNU’s intervention signals opposition vigilance as the Government negotiates terms that could have short‑ and long‑term fiscal implications. Lawmakers and analysts will be watching whether any purchase agreement protects the state from inheriting immediate maintenance liabilities and whether the buyout delivers demonstrable value for money ahead of the scheduled transfer.
